BMW M3 E46 vs M-B W208 55 AMG?

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Less stress on a bigger engine, that's why you very rarely see a high mileage BMW M-car. :thumb:

Yep , my pals brother just sold his one with an exploded engine. :D
 
Thanks Mattc, leading to my next question; my car slides all over the place in the dry anyway! What make of tyres would you guys recommend? Polska is usually -5 Celsius to -20...and ice plus snow! But remember we are also going via Nurburgring...
 
Yep , my pals brother just sold his one with an exploded engine. :D

My local indie had an 2003 M3 *spit* in last week (I nearly took a picture for the private plates thread) for gearbox failure and numerous other engine mechanic jiggery-pokery and it had only done 80,000.
 
I own a 208 55 and I love it. It's my baby - one night on the way home from Portsmouth I was on the M27 and went past a BP in which I saw a Silverstone Blue M3 with the plate UR SLOW. I went past him and carried on as per..

Less than a minute later I see ice blue lights in my rear view and following that an M3 shot past doing at least 110. He then slowed and pulled into the same lane as me. A little further on up the M27 I went to overtake him as he was sat in front of me.. He floored it and so did I from about 65MPH.. It was close for about 7 seconds until I started pulling away from him quickly... Did a couple more on the long stretches of the M27 - I won every one.

I also drive an E92 M3 which admittedly is a fair bit faster than the CLK but the 55 still puts up a good fight against the E92 m's..

You won't be embarrassed or crying if you drive it like it can be driven but don't expect to win on corners.. :)

Saying that.. I'll be buying an E46 M3 soon.. I just love the look of them.. Even over the E92
 
I had an 05 M3 with SMG and while the stats say it has 345 hp it just never felt that fast. Yes it went well and sounded great and would rev for ever but I just felt it wasn't as fast as I thought it would be. I'm sue the 55 will be a good match for it.
 
Mobb what you are saying is that between 60 to 100mph the W208 would be faster but on a standstill start I might have problems?
 
Mobb what you are saying is that between 60 to 100mph the W208 would be faster but on a standstill start I might have problems?

Nope.. I was just telling one of my experiences, tbh I've burnt a few M3s from a stop.. It depends on the driver.
 
Thanks everyone I will keep you posted on this dog fight...let battle commence!
 
My brother has just bought a beemer M3 today...he says I will not see him on the track or B roads or Autobahn. We are driving to Poland for Xmas via the Nurburgring (tickets booked 5mins ago!!!). Am I going to be embarrassed? I have 18s on my car and K&N air filter, besides that its standard...so is his. What do you guys think?:mad::devil:

Sorry to say it but as I love the W208 and mine in particular but on the twisties and the ring you won't get anywhere near the beemer if he is a decent driver, one of the best cars I have driven around the ring is the M3 csl nothing to touch it even gives the M5 ring taxi's a run for their money.

Prepare for lots of :mad::mad::mad: if he's a good driver :thumb:
 
Sorry to say it but as I love the W208 and mine in particular but on the twisties and the ring you won't get anywhere near the beemer if he is a decent driver, one of the best cars I have driven around the ring is the M3 csl nothing to touch it even gives the M5 ring taxi's a run for their money.

Prepare for lots of :mad::mad::mad: if he's a good driver :thumb:

Well my little bro is a good driver! We have done track days for the past 5 years and its 5-3 to me at the moment, so I PRAY he has a bad day at the ring..
 
I gave an E46 M3 (343BHP) real problems on the straights and twisties in my Saab 9-5 Aero (250BHP) so it really is down to the driver when the cars are closer.

E46 M3s went through a phase of the VANOS (variable valve timing) popping - which is the only real weak point on these M3s. It can still happen but BMW replaced a lot of engines under warranty. SMGII is not great either and neither was SMGI on the E36.

I had the mid 90's M3 Evolution (manual 6sp) which was running 321BHP from a 3201cc engine. The E46 is running 343BHP from a 3243cc engine and at over 100BHP per litre on both, it is under a lot of stress.

Handling is incredible in the M but you should be able to make up ground on the straights I would have thought with that extra torque.

It wont be a walk in the park for him...
 
Thanks JohnEBoy! I hope it wont be raining becoz my car understeers (heavy engine) then oversteers badly (loads of torque) when trying to correct it in corners. The ring has a few good straights although a bit bumpy so it will be tight...
 
I would agree that dynamically the E46 M3 wll obviously put the 208 CLK in the shade, but for a drag race I think you'll find the CLK55 will be just as quick, if not slightly quicker in the real world. You will probably surprise your brother on the autobahn :)

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/driving-incidents-roadrage/87889-clk55-e46-m3s.html

Catch one gear change wrong in the M3 and it's game over :eek:

Worth noting that even the newer V8 M3 (E92?) is quite a bit short of torque compared to the much older AMG V8 - there really is no replacement for displacement in this instance :D
 
Will what about the weight factor in a drag race? My car weighs about 1620 to 1650kg & his is about 50kg less. I am 20kg heavier than him as well...should I go on a diet of special k???
 
I wouldn't really worry about it to be honest.

At the end of the day, one is a BMW with a noisy six cylinder engine and the other is a better equipped and more luxurious GT with a fantastic V8 soundtrack :D

And it's a Mercedes :)

The fact that it can keep pace with an M3 on the straights is a bonus, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over what difference a tiny % of weight will make.

Enjoy the trip.

Will
 
if the same driver drove each car then the BMW would be better around the track, you could whip your brother round the track and you would be more than a better driver as the BMW should have beaten you!

As others have said its more about the driver.
 
Hey Alps, thats a good idea...swap cars after 2 laps. But I dont trust my brother with my baby! No way!
 
I had the mid 90's M3 Evolution (manual 6sp) which was running 321BHP from a 3201cc engine. The E46 is running 343BHP from a 3243cc engine and at over 100BHP per litre on both, it is under a lot of stress.

It is indeed, but the Japanese have been managing it for years :D
 

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